LostCamKenny Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 (edited) oh what a fine day it was to go climb, eh? a day shrouded with green and the luck o the irish - there couldn't be a safer day to be on the rock. stoked for a little mild weather i set off to get my belayer who was ready and waiting at the prime hour of 9am. no plans but to climb a pitch or two, i enlisted jimmy o from the ranks of elderstatesman to accompany me for what i thought would be 200 feet of "little" wall bliss things looked to be starting off pretty well... ...and didn't feel too uncomfortable. the rock was wet in spots but otherwise wasn't any worse than i had seen in the past. i was cautious and confident, and jim's picture-taking abilities were a bit off for this shot perhaps. Looking good, moving up steadily on pretty slammer gear, albeit a bit tricky to place sometimes... testing purple - pretty bomber... although the bottom of the shot cuts off most of the action of this move, i was placing the an awesome-feeling and confidence-inspiring #3 camalot. you could hang a truck from it! after jumping on the #3 for a minute i started to look for the next gear, which i chose to be a yellow metolius tcu. i had placed this piece twice before in the exact same place (once while soloing the same climb) and managed to move off of it successfully to another piece several feet higher up. but this is the last picture of a happy day... as i was moving up on this yellow tcu i carelessly shifted my weight a bit hastily and POP... I was airborne! for some reason, as i was falling, i spun 180 degrees and faced away from the wall. I must have fallen about 15-17 feet or so when the godsend of a #3 caught me. then the rope had to stretch, which landed me on a most uncomfortable ledge that was trying to sodomize me! sitting on this step about 8 feet off the deck, and hearing jimmy say "oooh, that wasn't good," i muttered, "let me down...," which he did. one of my aiders had caught in a sling during the fall and was keeping me from totally reaching the ground - i was on my toes. shaken and wounded, i tried in a half calm to unclip my aider to free myself from a hanging bastile, but i was unable to do it. jim got it unclipped and i immediately leaned against the base of the wall. dizzy and relishing the pain of my ledge landing, i voluntarily collapsed onto my stacked tag line, where i took in what just happened. it's really not all that far up there... that #3 paid for itself finally! so after returning home to 'tin i did nothing but lie on the couch and try not to think about my fall, while i iced my ass and back with a bag of frozen costco broccoli. i didn't feel like i was dying so i didn't want to go to the emergency room, but i knew i was going to have to see a doctor sooner or later. the next afternoon, about 24 hours later, i painfully stuffed myself into the car for the quick ride to the doc's office, where i had a wonderful conversation with the radiologist and the x-ray technologist. after about 8 pictures they were able to tell me that i had fractured my t12 vertebrae and severly bruised my ass (which i had already known). the fracture was considered stable, meaning that it wasn't going to get any worse, which explained why i had no paralysis and why i was able to walk. so i am not irish, but i was still lucky... see y'all in about 6-8 weeks. Edited March 20, 2010 by LostCamKenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilchuck71 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Damn! Glad you are relatively all right! Luck of the Irish for sure! Heal up and best wishes for a swift recovery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pink Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 sorry to hear dude! heal up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Wow. Glad to know are not dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checat Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Glad your still with us! This shot of a Jameson's for you! To long thriving climbing careers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 how far was jim from the wall taking pix when you fell and how far does he reckon he got jerked back in? gotta imagine he was pulled in at least 3-4 feet which woulda been the difference - i've been careless there too, but gotta believe if he was sitting against the wall you shoulda been fine - coulda, woulda, shoulda, whatcanyafuking do - bad luck for sure at any rate and its a forking miracle it hasn't happened to me yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 how far was jim from the wall taking pix when you fell and how far does he reckon he got jerked back in? gotta imagine he was pulled in at least 3-4 feet which woulda been the difference - i've been careless there too, but gotta believe if he was sitting against the wall you shoulda been fine - coulda, woulda, shoulda, whatcanyafuking do - bad luck for sure at any rate and its a forking miracle it hasn't happened to me yet! jim had just anchored himself in to a flake with a sling before i peeled, and when i looked at him from where i landed he was still a ways back. i pounded a LA in the base of the wall as a directional before i started and then he was able to belay from further back. the difference was felt mainly, i think, b/c i clipped the #3 with a shoulder runner rather than a draw since i had known from doing the climb earlier that the rope drag was undesirable without that piece extended... when i solo'd the pitch a week ago i had no problems with that piece that blew on me and it was the same piece in the same location. weird all the way around. just goes to show ya that it matters not your skill level or experience... it can happen to anyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 so...many moons from now and yer all better and you do the route, you'll just clip the #3 w/ its biner, and not extend it till you're above the yellow tcu (or offset, if either of us have bought one by then )? sure am glad i wasn't there dude! i'd have had to put my fucking drink down! when do i get yer pain meds again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetimetravlr Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 You have lots of time to heal before southside Beacon opens Kenny, so no hurry. Heck of a fall on trad gear. Next time you'll place that #3 with confidence and memories.....Way to be going for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffTheSteppe Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Ouch ouch ouch! Reminds me of a time I fell onto a piece of iron in a manhole at work. Landed in a standing position with it "catching me" between the legs. Luckily it caught me just behind the family jewels. Just about passed out from the pain. Glad to year no permanent damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Sorry to hear about your crash landing, Kenny. Makes a good story, though, and I'm sure you'll be back up there in no time with a happier ending(no pun intended). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Sorry to hear about your crash landing, Kenny. Makes a good story, though, and I'm sure you'll be back up there in no time with a happier ending(no pun intended). ouch... it hurts to laugh but i can't help it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidave Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 So, did Mker & Ivan get yer "bootied" gear back? You'd better hope Miker got to it first, cause you know Ivan will keep it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 So, did Mker & Ivan get yer "bootied" gear back? it's safe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corduroy Man Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Wow! Glad to hear your okay LostCamKenny! I would love to go out there for some aiding if anyone is interested. Send me a message. I have a car and most gear. Rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I think Ivan got that #3 to good use Saturday higher up! Glad you didn't crater too bad dude, and hope you get out again soon. Aid falls always seem longer than they should be, in fact most falls seem that way. My 2nd worst fall involved me zooming past my belayer and landing on my ass on a ledge which I thought was not even reachable and the cheek looked like a target had been painted on it in purple and yellow for weeks, much to my wifes amusement. Nice picture sequence - those traversing pieces are a bitch as you can't test them well and have to commit and hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinp Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 is it me or does kenny look like a fawking flesh-swilling zombie here? Perhaps the apocalypse has already began. New it would not take them long to figure out the whole aid climbing thang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetimetravlr Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I thought he was more like this guy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7hx3SKxsac&feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 axel used ripe bananas... i landed on top of my jugs and my grigri which were padding the ledge that i hit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetimetravlr Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I was climbing with Big Wall Rick yesterday and he was bemoaning the fact that Beacon is really our only proper multipitch and wall training venue in the Portland area and that summer is half over when it opens. It really seems like the powers that be could keep open the Young Warriors side of Beacon and have everyone happy and SAFE with no affect on the peregrines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I was climbing with Big Wall Rick yesterday and he was bemoaning the fact that Beacon is really our only proper multipitch and wall training venue in the Portland area and that summer is half over when it opens. It really seems like the powers that be could keep open the Young Warriors side of Beacon and have everyone happy and SAFE with no affect on the peregrines. there are other annapurnas in the life of man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidave Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I was climbing with Big Wall Rick yesterday and he was bemoaning the fact that Beacon is really our only proper multipitch and wall training venue in the Portland area and that summer is half over when it opens. It really seems like the powers that be could keep open the Young Warriors side of Beacon and have everyone happy and SAFE with no affect on the peregrines. there are other annapurnas in the life of man I'm with ya, but not sure if the argument that it's safer on YW would hold water... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsroll Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 damn kenny. Glad you are OK. Catch you when you heal. Think I might be thinking about rock around that time. Maybe I will be able to keep up with you. Still snow season And go get some sun. You a little white...zombie? LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Lost cam Brokeback Kenny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted April 2, 2010 Author Share Posted April 2, 2010 Lost cam Brokeback Kenny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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